


Matters of The Heart

by Snugglebuttkitten



Category: The Originals (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Imprinting, Angst with a Happy Ending, College AU, Cue Maniacal Laughter, Elijah doesn't want to love Hayley, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Falling In Love, First Meeting, Fluff and Angst, Hayley doesn't want to love Elijah, Human!Elijah, Love/Hate, Soul Bond, Soulmates, They get NO CHOICE, Werewolf!Hayley
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-14
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2020-05-07 16:50:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19213546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snugglebuttkitten/pseuds/Snugglebuttkitten
Summary: Twenty-year-old Hayley Marshall has had her life mapped out for her from the moment she was born. The daughter of werewolf royalty, she's spent her life being told what to do, how to act, and even who to love. But as much as she enjoys the company of her best friend, Jackson, she doesn't want to marry him. Unfortunately, she might not have a choice. The second she gets her college degree, she knows her parents expect her to return home and do just that, uniting the two royal families that have governed their people for centuries. So for now, she fully intends to live it up and enjoy college life to the fullest.Twenty-three-year-old Elijah Mikaelson wasn't expecting much when he left Mystic Falls, Georgia for the small college town of Wolf Creek, Louisiana to work as the universities new Head Advisor. To be honest, it was a job and it got him away from his neurotic siblings and that was enough for him. But then Hayley Marshall walks into his office and he instinctively knows things aren't going to be nearly as simple as he might have hoped them to be.





	Matters of The Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys! Kitty here! Some of you may have seen me around the threads for other fandoms, mainly Miraculous Ladybug, but I am trying to expand upon my writing and my fandoms so I decided to write for The Originals. Keep in mind it has been ages since I watched the show and I never finished it. I intend on rewatching it and finishing it soon so I can watch Legacies but this is my first attempt in the fandom so be kind. Now, this story is pretty much all about Hayley x Elijah. I might throw other characters in there as we go and will tag accordingly, but it was supposed to be a one-shot until I thought, screw it I'll write a fic about these two happily. Just a few things to note about this AU:  
> 1\. Hayley never lost her parents and was raised in the pack  
> 2\. Everyone in the pack has moonstone rings that allow them to shift, or not shift, at will. That being said, Hayley hasn't actually activated her wolf gene yet because she hasn't killed anyone. She just has the ring just in case.  
> 3\. Jackson and Hayley grew up together and are best friends  
> 4\. Elijah and the rest of the Mikaelsons are humans, NOT witches or vampires  
> 5\. Elijah's siblings are still certifiable but less murdery  
> 6\. There will be definite changes to Hayley's personality. She is still stubborn, still independent and a smartass, but she's a lot less guarded than she is in the show. She doesn't have as much baggage and she's a lot more carefree  
> 7\. Hayley's birth name is still Andrea Labonair, but for her safety, one of the stipulations of her going to college was using a false name in case their enemies tried to track her down

“It’s perfect! Isn’t it perfect, Jackson?” Hayley Marshall couldn’t help the excited squeal that escaped her as she set down the final box and surveyed the dorm room. Beside her, Jackson Kenner did the same, looking a lot less enthused than the young woman behind him. To be completely honest, the dorm room didn’t look like much. It was actually pretty basic as far as dorm rooms went. The walls were bare, off white in color with the paint peeling in some places. There was a window against one wall, a bed along with another, while a small closet, a dresser, and a desk took up the third wall. The room was equipped with a small ‘kitchenette’ if one could call it that, considering it was literally just a mini fridge, a microwave oven, and a hotplate. There was only one bed since one of the stipulations of her coming here at all was that she acquire a room of her own, and Jackson had a sinking feeling that the Labonair Family had made a hefty donation to ensure their daughter got a private room.

“Y-yeah, perfect. You know, you could have just rented an apartment off campus, Andrea. You parents probably would have been thrilled, especially if they saw this place,” he pointed out, casting a wary look around and half expecting to see a cockroach scuttle across the floor. Thankfully the place seemed to be fairly clean if a bit cramped. Hayley waved him off with one hand, stepping further into the room and looking around thoughtfully. He knew that look and knew she was already planning on how best to decorate the space and turn it into her own.

“You don’t get it, Jack. Your parents have always been easy on you but  _ mine _ are crazy strict and overprotective and the fact I got them to agree to college  _ at all _ ?” She turned to glance at him with a droll look in her hazel green eyes before returning her gaze to the room at large. “I want to experience college the way normal people do. The way  _ humans _ do. And if that means living in the dorms, then so be it. Also, you’re supposed to be calling me Hayley,” she added with a teasing smile cast over her shoulder.

“Right, right. Sorry,” Jackson sighed, casting another morose look around the room. When he glanced up once more, he found Hayley watching him with a soft smile on her face.

“You should go, Jackie. I’ll be fine here. I have a lot of unpacking to do and you have a long drive back to New Orleans,” she pointed out. Jackson nodded slowly but found himself hesitating to leave. He had known Hayley since she was born and they had struck up an immediate friendship as she grew older. Hayley didn’t get along with most of the other female wolves in the pack, preferring to compete with the boys in their age group, but she had always seemed to have a special place in her heart for him. It had always made him feel somewhat special, and throughout their childhood, they had been practically inseparable. Now that it was actually time for him to go, he found that was the last thing he wanted to do. She was his best friend and he really didn’t want to have to face the next few months without her. Sure, they could talk on the phone and video chat… and there were always school breaks, which Hayley had promised to come to visit during as many as she could, but it wasn’t the same.

Seeming to realize what he was thinking, the girl’s face softened further and she crossed the small space between them in two quick steps, throwing her arms around him and pressing her face into his shoulder. It was an automatic response to wrap his arms securely around her waist, pulling her in as tight as possible and dropping his chin on top of her head. They stayed like that for a long moment, neither wanting to be the one who let go first, but eventually, they found themselves having to separate. “I’ll be okay, Jack, really. And New Orleans really isn’t  _ that _ far, so you could always come to visit,” she offered with a weak smile. Jackson returned the smile but it was strained at best and didn’t fully reach his eyes.

“I know but it won’t be the same,” he mumbled, frowning at her unhappily. Hayley nodded in understanding, and not for the first time she wished that Jackson was going to college with her. Unfortunately, he had never had any real desire to get away from the pack, not in the way she did, at least. He loved his family, he loved the pack, and even if he did want to, he couldn’t leave now. Not when he was being groomed to be the Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack. Now when he was being groomed to be her mate, regardless of how she felt on the matter.

“It’s not forever,” she promised because that was really the only thing she could promise. Jackson was her best friend and she loved him with all her heart. But not enough that she would give up this tiny shred of freedom. To him, the pack was home and family. To her, it was just stifling. It was rules and regulations, it was being forced into a marriage that she never agreed to. It was sacrificing her ability to find love for the greater good and she had accepted that. Mostly. But first, she wanted to have a bit of freedom and separation before tying herself down forever. Eventually, the two did say their final goodbyes and Jackson left to drive back to their home, leaving Hayley all alone for the first time in perhaps ever. Even alone in her bedroom at home, there were always people nearby. Be it her bodyguard whom she had somehow managed to avoid coming with her to college, or her tutors, housekeepers, or any number of her packmates who’s sharp hearing made it impossible to ever truly be alone. Here, surrounded by rooms full of humans, she felt more alone than she ever had in her entire life and she  _ relished _ in the feeling. No longer was she petrified of having a dozen pairs of hypersensitive ears tuned into her conversations. For the first time in her life, she was truly free. She even kind of liked the fact that she didn’t have Jackson glued to her side for once, even though that thought immediately made her feel like a terrible person.

The rest of the afternoon passed relatively quickly. Hayley spent the majority of it unpacking and decorating her small room. She drilled shelves into the walls to hold the large assortment of novels she had brought with her, designated one drawer of the dresser for art supplies, folded her undergarments and pajamas to fill her dresser and hung up the rest of her clothes in the closet. She replaced the bedding set the school had afforded her with her own, placed her shoes in the bottom of the closet and her school books and laptop on the desk and when all was said and done, she stepped back to observe her handiwork. The room still needed a lot of work, but it showed potential. Some hanging strings of beads in front of the window would be perfect to catch the warm rays of sunlight that would stream through the window on sunny days. A few posters or decorative blankets would cover the blank walls, maybe a chalkboard calendar to tie the whole room together… she could even get a television and tv stand to place under her window. The room was small, much smaller than the one she was used to, but it wasn’t as terrible as she knew Jackson thought it was and it was hers. In the end, that was all that really mattered. It was hers and no one was going to take this chance away from her.

  
  
  


Elijah Mikaelson had always been a cautious and analytical person. Out of all the Mikaelson children, and there were quite a few of them, he had always been the most inclined to think before he leaped. Unfortunately, in this particular instance, he wasn’t sure he had thought his actions through quite as thoroughly as he should have. Moving was always kind of a big deal, and it was even more of a big deal when you moved states. Having lived in Mystic Falls, Georgia all of his life, it had been quite out of character for him to pack up all of his worldly belongings in his car on a whim and move about 700 hundred miles to the tiny college town of Wolf Creek, Louisiana. Yet, here he was, finally settled into his apartment after about a month and silently cursing his decision to come out here in the first place. It wasn’t that Wolf Creek was a bad place to live. It was a quaint college town, fairly off the radar. It wasn’t a tourist trap like New Orleans, which he appreciated. In fact, Wolf Creek reminded Elijah a lot of Mystic Falls in some ways. His problem mostly lay in his new job. 

When he had taken the offered position as Head Advisor for Wolf Creek University, he hadn’t realized that part of that job meant meeting with every single incoming freshman they had arriving on campus. Not that that was technically a  _ bad _ thing, more like just an exhausting thing. WCU was a fairly large school that offered a surprisingly large variety of majors and high school graduates from all over the surrounding areas often moved here for a good, solid education. That meant at least a couple thousand freshman coming through his doors, each for a fifteen to thirty minute meeting where he essentially tried to figure out what their financial situations were, what their educational goals were, and where he began files on them all. He was having anywhere from forty to sixty meetings a day, and after a solid month and almost 2000 meetings, he was more than ready to be done with these introductory meetings. Sadly, he still had a long way to go before he worked through the incoming freshman, and classes started in only a few days time. Thankfully, once class started, he could schedule meetings less frequently, taking only twenty to thirty a day as he focused on other aspects of his job.

Habitually, Elijah glanced at the clock on his wall to take note of the time as his latest meeting slipped out the door, calling her thanks as she rushed towards the University Bookstore before their doors closed. It was already seven pm and soon it would be time for him to go home. He was sure his cat would be happy at his return. Salem was a rather affectionate kitten that he had bought on a whim when he moved out here. Again, this was rather out of character for him but he had figured that while he was being impulsive, he might as well get a pet. His apartment allowed them and besides, this was his first time living alone and he found he was surprisingly lonely in his apartment all by himself. He had never really seen himself as an animal person in general, much less a cat person. But dogs were too much work. They were needy creatures that required constant companionship, training, and walks. He didn’t have time for all that, and he didn’t want an animal that would sit in a cage all day, so he went to look at cats instead. Salem was a scrappy little black kitten with big green eyes, and he had taken one look at her before deciding that she was the one for him. So far, he hasn't regretted his decision. She was a bit destructive, liked to chew on cords and scratch at the furniture, but a few chew-proof cord protectors and some kitty nail clippers had mostly rectified these issues. Aside from that, she used her litter box well and played with her toys and she was a nice companion in the evenings when he arrived home, exhausted, curling up in his lap as he ate one of his tv dinners and watched a bit of television before dozing off.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Elijah pulled up the calendar app on his phone and clicked on today’s date, scrolling to the bottom of the list to see who his last meeting of the day was. The name Hayley Marshall sat next to the seven o’clock slot on his calendar, and once again he glanced at the clock, this time with a frown. She was late, and if there was one thing Elijah despised, it was tardiness. Especially since it was the end of the day for him and he really just wanted to get this meeting over with so that he could go home. Drumming his fingers agitatedly on the surface of his desk, he finally decided to give her half an hour. If she wasn’t there by seven thirty, he was going home and she could simply call him tomorrow to reschedule the meeting. And regardless of whether she showed up today or not, he would be sure to speak to her about her tardiness. If she had any hope of succeeding in college, Miss Marshall would have to learn a bit of responsibility sooner or later, and that could start with learning not to waste other people’s precious time.

Setting about cleaning up and organizing his office, Elijah almost allowed himself to forget the time and his tardy appointment as he slid his laptop and schedule planner into his bag and packed away the files of his last appointment in the appropriate filing cabinet. It was five minutes to seven thirty when a tentative knock on the door drew his attention, first to the clock and then to the door. He had half a mind to tell her to go away at this point. He was tired and cranky and more than a little annoyed that she was  _ twenty-five _ minutes late to her appointment. But if not today, he would have to squeeze her in another day and in all honesty, Elijah really just wanted to get this meeting out of the way as soon as possible. There was a Hungry Man TV Dinner calling his name and he had set his DVR to record the latest episode of Survivor in case he got home late. Besides, it was a Friday and he had the next two days off, so with a sigh, he called out permitting the girl to enter. The door creaked open slowly and Elijah bit back a growl as he pulled the girl’s file from the basket that sat to his left.

“Mr. Mikaelson? I am so sorry I’m late, I got a bit distracted unpacking and I know that’s no excuse but I wanted to apologize for my lateness. I know you probably have better things to do than wait around on me and-” the student was saying, and with a barely audible huff Elijah found himself responding as he lifted his gaze.

“You’re right, I d-” the biting response died in his throat, which suddenly felt dry and constricted as his brown eyes clashed with her green ones, a bolt of what felt like electricity running through his veins. In the doorway, the girl had frozen, seeming equally as shocked as her gaze locked on his. Elijah was the first to blink, tearing his gaze away and forcing it to stay away, despite the way a part of him yearned to look back at her. It was strange, there was no way he had ever met this girl before. She was a stranger. Yet it felt as if he had known her his whole life and he hadn’t even spoken a complete sentence to her. Finally allowing his gaze to flit back towards the young woman who still looked like a deer caught in the headlights, Elijah Mikaelson had to ask himself… just who was Hayley Marshall?

**Author's Note:**

> Lemme know what you think!


End file.
